Released in 1970 Curtis is the debut solo album by American soul/funk artist, and former lead singer of The Impressions, Curtis Mayfield. Released on his own label Curtom Records and also self-produced this debut was very much a solo project building on Mayfields personal experiences. It moved away from the pop soul sounds of The Impressions and featured much more of a funk and psychedelic inspired sound. It was a powerful musical statement which covered many social and political concerns of the time, most famously in the single "Move On Up" which would later be covered and sampled by many future artists including The Jam and Kanye West. (bron: Warner) Met ook de klassieker "(Don't Worry) If There's A hell Below We're All Going To Go".
"Beautiful remastering and a sensible pairing of two of Curtis Mayfield's mid-'70s releases, one of his last topical records juxtaposed with one of his more loosely structured, romantically oriented albums. The sound is excellent and the annotation is extremely thorough. The scope of Curtis Mayfield's talents and contributions have yet to be fully recognized. Judged merely by his records alone his legacy is enormous. As the leader of the Impressions, he recorded some of the finest soul vocal group music of the 1960s. As a solo artist in the 1970s, he helped pioneer funk and helped introduce hard-hitting urban commentary into soul music. But Curtis Mayfield wasn't just a singer. He wrote most of his material at a time when that was not the norm for soul performers. He was among the first - if not the very first - to speak openly about African-American pride and community struggle in his compositions." (Allmusic)
Heruitagve van twee klassieke soul albums van de legendarische Curtis Mayfield± "Roots" (1971) en "Sweet Exorsist" (1974).
Invloedrijk soul/funk-zanger/componist (1942-1999) met opvallende falsetstem. Een selectie van 77 tracks die hij tussen 1968 en 1990 uitbracht via z'n eigen Curtom-label, waaronder opnamen met The Impressions uit de jaren 1968-1970. De tracks zijn per CD thematisch geschikt in 'Inspirational Themes' (o.a. 'Move On Up'), 'Love Songs', 'Cautionary Tales' (o.a. 'If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go') en 'Film & Dance' (met o.a. monsterhit 'Superfly').
"Aretha Franklin's career was in a down period in the mid-'70s when she collaborated with Curtis Mayfield to sing his compositions for the film "Sparkle". The film proved a non-event, but for Franklin it marked a return to glory. Once again she was the Queen of Soul, doing the chilling, spectacular leaps, cries, whoops, and shouts that defined secularized gospel in the late '60s. The title cut was a sizable hit, while "Something He Can Feel" became an anthem. Mayfield's lyrics and production shouldn't be overlooked; he added just the right amount of background trappings, and the Kitty Haywood Singers provided Franklin's best continuing backgrounds since the Sweet Inspirations." (Ron Wynn, Allmusic)
"Lang voordat de Black Panthers en andere organisaties die het zwarte bewustzijn propageerden ook maar enige voet in de aarde kregen, verspreidde Curtis Mayfield samen met The Impressions in de jaren zestig zijn zwarte boodschap met nummers als "People Get Ready", "Choice Of Colours" en "Mighty Mighty (Spade And Whitey)". Toch zag hij zichzelf altijd meer als een entertainer dan als een wereldverbeteraar. In de jaren zeventig ging hij solo met als hoogtepunt de soundtrack voor de blaxploitation-film "Superfly". Hij zou de wereld regelmatig voorzien van prachtige soulsongs, totdat in 1990 een omvallende lichtmast een einde maakte aan zijn carrière. Negen jaar later overleed hij. Zijn grootste hits zijn terug te vinden op deze DVD, evenals interviews met mede-Impressions Fred Cash en Sam Gooden, zijn weduwe Altheida Mayfield, producer/arrangeur Johnny Pate, Carlos Santana en Chuck D. Als bonus nog enkele extra nummers waaronder Mayfields grootste hit "Move On Up" en meer interviews. "(AD, Muziekweb)
Compilatie met commentaar en interviews
"Curtis Mayfield's visionary album, a landmark creation every bit as compelling and as far-reaching in its musical and extra-musical goals as Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On". Opening on the hit "Get Down," the album soars on some of the sweetest and most eloquent -- yet driving -- soul sounds heard up to that time. Mayfield's growing musical ambitions, first manifested on the "Curtis" album, and his more sophisticated political sensibilities, presented with a lot of raw power on "Curtis Live!", are pulled together here in a new, richer studio language. The music is even bolder than the material on the "Curtis" album, with Mayfield expanding his instrumental range to the level of a veritable soul orchestra. Mayfield shows a degree of confidence that only a handful of soul artists of this era could have mustered. Rhino's acquisition of the Curtom catalog in 1996 led to a remastered and expanded reissue in 1999 with superior sound, detailed annotation, and the addition of 4 bonus tracks." (Bruce Eder, Allmusic)
Onze website en deze zoekfunctie is vernieuwd en we werken er op dit moment hard aan om de laatste puntjes op de i te zetten. Mis je bepaalde functionaliteiten, dan vind je hieronder tijdelijk nog de link naar oude zoekfunctie.
